Not quite the same thing. It's rather like the difference between what and which (which are the generally accepted translations of the related words kio and kiu).

Tio = that (thing) (affair, object), it. De kie tio venis? Where did that come from? Tiu = that one (person, thing), the one (he, she, it) over there. Tiu pilko venis el la kampo. That ball came from the field.

Tio is used when one doesn't have a specific something about which one is speaking. If there is a specific person, place or thing then one would use tiu. Or, another way to see it, Tiu references the noun, tio replaces it.

Hopefully that (tiu) helps. It really is both that (tia) simple and that (tia) complex.

If there is no other context, then tio is the usually appropriate word. I do not see how one can easily say "I hope that helps" (Mi esperas, ke tio helpas) without some sort of context, but you seem to have the right idea.

Since is usually translated as: "ekde, ek de, de; de post" sometimes followed by "kiam." This will be discussed in a future lesson. However, avoid writing "depost" as one word since that puts the wrong emphasis on the syllables.